Fayemi’s rally: FG stops Amaechi, Oshiomhole

Fayemi’s rally: FG stops Amaechi, Oshiomhole

Two All Progressives Congress governors were allegedly prevented from travelling to Ekiti State on Thursday by the Federal Government and security agencies.

The governors – Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State – were billed to participate in APC’s mass rally on Friday(today) to shore up support for Governor Kayode Fayemi ahead of Saturday’s governorship poll in Ekiti State.

Oshiomhole’s chartered helicopter was said to have been prevented from departing the Benin Airport while Amaechi and his convoy were stopped by security operatives from entering Ekiti State.

The incidents were said to have been in compliance with an “order from above.”

Before the Rivers and Edo state governments issued statements on the incident in Ondo, the APC had claimed that another of its governors, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano State, was also prevented from making the same trip.

The Edo State government claimed that a chartered helicopter meant to fly Oshiomhole to Ekiti was grounded at the Benin Airport.

A statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Peter Okhiria, said that Air Commodore Awomodu, who delivered the message on the grounding of the helicopter, explained that it was “from above.”

“The governor who was billed to attend a mass rally organised to conclude the re-election campaigns of Governor Fayemi was left stranded at the Benin Airport for two hours before Air Commodore Awomodu delivered the message ‘from above,’’’ Okhiria said.

Recalling that the same helicopter was grounded on June 7 last year by agents of the Federal Government, the CPS added that “ a source at the 81 Air Maritime Group, who declined to mention his name, said it( action) was purely ‘a military affair.”’

Okhiria said that Oshiomhole expressed shock at the development “as other APC governors and party leaders were not allowed to fly to Ekiti.”

The statement read, “ The Airport Manager, Mr. Sunday Ayodele, and the Airspace Manager, Mr. Ibekwe, said they had no hands in the governor’s ordeal as they had no directive to that effect.

“The helicopter with registration number 5NBQ8 later flew out of the Benin Airport at 1.20pm without its intended passengers.

“It will be recalled that on June 7, 2013, an OAS helicopter ferrying the Edo State governor to Awka, Anambra State, was recalled mid-air and grounded by the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency .

“The Filipino Pilot of the OAS chopper, Captain James Manahash, had said at the time “we were already airborne when we got the call to return to the airport and was even threatened that failure to do so would lead to complete grounding of the aircraft. The governor prevailed on me to return and listen to them.”

In Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, told journalists that Amaechi was ambushed and held hostage by soldiers and other security agents.

She claimed that the operatives, acting on an ‘‘order from above’’ prevented the governor from leaving and exiting Akure, the Ondo State capital.

Semenitari, who expressed worry over Amaechi’s safety, said while his chartered aircraft was grounded at the Akure Airport, the Ministers of Defence and Police Affairs landed at the same airport.

The commissioner later issued a statement which read, “The Rivers State Government is concerned about the safety of Governor Amaechi who is right now being held hostage in commando-like style by soldiers and other Federal Government security agents in Odudu, Ondo State.

“Governor Amaechi, as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, and as an APC governor had left Port Harcourt this(Thursday) morning for Ekiti State, where he was to join his brother governor in his last mega rally before the election.

“He was ambushed and refused entry into Ekiti by military personnel acting on orders from above. He made to turn back and return to Akure where his chartered aircraft was parked but was chased by armed soldiers and security personnel in Odudu, Ondo State.

“In the meantime, the chartered aircraft that conveyed the governor has been grounded while the ministers of Defence, Police Affairs and the Minister of State for Defence have landed at the Akure airport.”

Semenitari explained that that the state government was particularly worried that the Federal Government had singled out Amaechi for harassment.

She recalled that the incident in Ondo State was coming on the heels of a similar one in Kano, Kano State.

Our correspondent in Akure however reported that Amechi’s convoy later returned to the airport and left for Port Harcourt at about 3pm.

The APC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, said that Amaechi and his convoy were stopped at the border between Ondo and Ekiti states and ordered to turn back, because they would not be allowed to reach Ado-Ekiti.

The party said while Amaechi’s convoy was being detained in order to force them to turn back, the convoys of the ministers were allowed to pass.

It added, ‘’These acts are illegal and definitely not in line with the Electoral Act, which stipulates that campaign for the election will only end at midnight on Friday.

‘’It also represents a manipulation of the electoral process when all the candidates will not be allowed a level playing field to campaign for the election. There is no clearer manifestation of the Federal Government’s allergy to free, fair, transparent and violence-free election than this.

‘‘Several months ago, we warned that Nigeria under the watch of President Goodluck Jonathan was sliding into fascism and we were pilloried in certain quarters for daring to make such a statement. Today(Thursday), we have sadly been vindicated.

‘’Not even in the worst days of the abhorrent military dictatorship were things done this brazenly, with citizens being denied their fundamental rights of free movement, free assembly and free expression, all because of the desperation by the ruling party to win elections at all costs.”

The Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, Chinedu Offor, wrote on his Facebook page that he was not allowed to exit the Akure Airport.

“Just prevented from flying out of Akure Airport….. what a country… It is not who is right, it is what is right that matters,” he wrote as of 5.48pm on Thursday.

Offor however did not say if his boss was also in Akure or not.

The no entry into Ekiti order and the grounding of Oshiomhole’s helicopter were however denied by aviation officials and the Army.

When contacted, the spokesperson for the 32 Artillery Brigade, Akure, Capt. Ademola Adegoke, denied the claim that soldiers stopped Amaechi from getting into Ekiti State.

He said, “ It is not true that soldiers turned Governor Amaechi back. It did not happen. I don’t have such information and I am sure that it did not happen.”

In Akure, the airport Manager, Victoria Bamidele, said only the Director of Communications of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria could speak on the matter.

She said, “You know I am a civil servant; the office in charge of communications will have all the information.”